Conventional systems which appraise the driver's condition on the basis of physiological parameters measured in the vehicle include, for example, interactive systems that request from the driver, while driving, certain input actions on the basis of which the driving capability of the driver is determined. Systems also exist which sense the eyelid blink frequency via a video camera with downstream image analysis. From the acquired blink frequency, conclusions can in turn be drawn regarding the driving capability of a driver in the motor vehicle.
Also available in the home context are systems, for example, exercise machines equipped with ergometric functions, which allow conclusions as to the health of the user by way of physiological measured values such as blood pressure, pulse rate, skin impedance, etc.
The informativeness of conventional systems or systems under development in terms of assessing the driving capability of the driver in a motor vehicle is considerably limited, however, by the fact that the only methods possible are those that do not use fixed electrodes or catheters on the driver's body, but instead must make do with contacts on bare skin areas or with entirely non-contact measurements, such as the aforesaid acquisition of the eyelid blink frequency a video camera.